Random Thoughts

I just was asked to write something for somebody, about motorcycling.   I wrote why I ride just now.    I don’t know if it makes any sense or not.    I just wrote it, and its part of the reason why I ride.

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Why I ride.

Honestly, I’ve been trying to answer that question for almost 25 years.    I keep riding, and keep asking myself that question.

I swear there’s a riding gene.    I’ve seen people  who buy motorcycles over the years, and you either love it, or you don’t.    If you love it, you will keep doing it.   It’ll never get it out of your system.    If you don’t, your bike will end up on craigslist after a few years and have 1800 miles on it.     I’m not sure if it scares you, you’re unsure of yourself or how you’ll handle any given situation without 2,000 pounds of steel around you for protection, but if you don’t love it, you may not keep doing it.

I friggin’ love it.   I could drone on for hours about why I love riding, and still not know why.   I’ll give it a try…

Riding is being in the experience:  To paraphrase Robert Persig:   In a car, it’s almost like you’re watching TV.    The windshield is an 80 inch screen.   The weather almost doesn’t really matter.   Your temperature is controlled.     You have enough fuel to make a mistake, like missing a gas station.   Bluetooth, Nav, cell service…   You’re connected to everything that you have in your real world.

You don’t on a bike.     That road below you?   Its right there:  you can put your foot down and touch it.    You’ll watch the weather, because that effects which route you may take, or what you might need to endure.    There’s no heater.   You don’t get the luxury of any sort of fender bender.

Riding, to me is almost a religious experience.   You do all this subconsciously I think…  It’s a Zen moment:   pay attention to those potholes.   Watch out for the gal on her cell phone, you won’t get a 2^nd chance to be wrong if she’s not paying attention.     Watch the weather, because you might be riding in the rain.   Fuel up after 80 miles.    Check your map.

All while you’re listening to your favorite song on your ipod, and that unexpected rain storm start pelting you.     It’s a beautiful thing.

When you ride, You’re not a part of the experience, you’re *IN* the experience.

I also think its why some bikes end up on craigslist.    You  either love riding, or  you don’t.

A quail, outside the window at work today.

A brief moment, but I’m grateful that I don’t have some thing hanging over my head like that, flopping all down in your line of sight when you’re trying to get something done. Its thoughts like these, that maybe that I got nothing done at work today.

I’ve been searching all day to sum up how I feel about memorial Day.    I went into work for a few hours, and figured I’d go down and see my fathers Grave.    It was important to him that he not be forgotten.   I passed a cemetery and saw the traffic jams, and blew it off for later.

It was easy to go get steaks to grill on our day off.     It was easy to pass up the things that make you remember about this day, like passing through saving private Ryan on cable.

If I wasn’t careful, Memorial day almost just turn into a barbecue, and a 3 day weekend.

This sums up, almost exactly how I feel about memorial day.     The stories of men who went into the military because of maybe a small sense of duty, or pressure, or maybe just the chance of cheaper college.   That changed.   These guys went into battle, fought alongside others, who ended up taking the long view.

they took that home.  Learned to discard the ugly, and take the good to build a country.    A family.   A good place in the world.   They Built businesses and families.    Struggled with what they’d learned and saw.    Powered it out and pressed on, mostly alone.   Gave back.     We’re still swinging from the nuts of the men who did that.   The deserters didn’t learn a thing.    The fighters did.    Those are the guys I salute.

Memorial day should almost be every Day.     Dad, I’ll go decorate your grave tomorrow, and take the kids.   You hated traffic too.  I know you didn’t need to be remembered on just one day, but every day.    I can tell you we do.

My hats are off to the men and women who made the sacrifice I never made.    Happy Memorial Day.

Still, my favorite riding song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlhncFCtWw8

Not to get all gushy and shit, but this picture Just makes me happy.

That’s my Daughter’s Engagement picture.

I don’t think a man has very many missions in life.    One is to provide, protect, and take care of his family.    It’s a bit deeper than whats going on in your career, your bike or who the fuck your football team drafted.   When you have daughters, its a bit more complicated than that, because lets face it:   Men don’t really understand women.   I sure don’t.

I remember early on, that the only thing I wanted for my girls were to be independent.   If I had a conscious thought as a parent, it was fairly singular:   I want my daughters to be strong.     To be able to pull themselves out of a bad situation if they needed to, or to find out what they want and to move towards a goal.      Have that inner moxy that tells them they are good enough to do it.    I don’t know if its genes,  Parenting or just blind luck, but my daughter has it.      She’s strong.

She met a guy with some moxy, who will provide, protect and take care of my daughter.     I don’t know if that’s chance or not, but I’m glad it happened.   I’ve never seen her happier.

And, I’m happier than hell for them.    They’ll be married in a few weeks.    Pretty cool for missus Zip and Me.

Also, I am pissed about the Steelers draft, and my bike has a semi flat tire.

This is completely Jammin.    Once you get past the fact that these are not the same guys from Deliverance, I was able to dig this version.    Well played, sirs.

Its nice as hell outside.  Riding season is here, and  I have a lot to catch up on.     I love riding and writing, but I tend to favor the former and procrastinate the latter.

I Met Jim Leonard a couple of weeks ago.   There’s a few guys who have claimed to own the original Captain America Bike, and Jim is one of them.   He’s a helluva good dude, and a bigger Easy Rider fan than I am.  I know the route, and Jim knows the movie, better than anyone.    Quality guy.   I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I count the guy as a friend.    Looked through thousands of pictures I’ve never seen, and saw his Bikes.   Very cool.

MotorcycleHouse.com hit me up and asked me to review one of their jackets.    I fought them a bit, saying I’m not that kind of blog.    I don’t blog to make money, I blog to document my my favorite religious experience, which is riding.   After telling them I wasn’t going to gush over a $90 retail jacket, they assured me I can be honest with my review, so I will.     I’ll ride in it for a week and see what they say.     They may end up sending out a hit for me, I don’t know.

I’ll get caught up, I swear.

I’m off today.   Took off Thursday and Friday too.   I did roll in on Thursday off the clock and had the biggest sale I’ve ever had.  I had a conference call a board and CEO of a pretty big Boston Mass Company.    At one point in the conversation, they were impressed a Utahn knew how to use the word “Mass-Hole” correctly.    I want to thank my Massachusetts friends for that.  They laughed, The conversation turned, and I ended up landing the deal.

Today I’m not doing anything.   Last day off.    I’m looking forward to hitting it tomorrow.    I dig my job.

Work pissed me off today.     Sometimes a little Metallica just hits the spot.

I already feel better.